When backyard enthusiasts plant fruit trees, they often get more than they bargained for, namely, out-sized trees and impossible quantities of fruit. It doesn’t have to be this way. Backyard growers have different purposes than farmers. Different rules apply. Well-timed pruning keeps fruit trees small and easy to manage. Pruning is one of the most necessary, neglected, forgiving, misunderstood, and rewarding aspects of fruit tree care. In a very real way, the hand of the pruner creates a fruit tree. Managing fruit trees is far less complicated than we have been led to believe.